Liquid-transferring apparatus



W. KIRKWOOD. LIQUID TRAN'SFERRING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13' I9I8.

Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

WILLIAM KInKwoonor CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LIQUIDrTRAN$FERRING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. -Pa,tented'Ma,r, 23, 1920,

Application filed July 13, 1918. Serial No. 244,808.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM KIaKwooD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of (look and State of lllinols, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Liquid- .lransferring Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention is concerned with liquid transferring apparatus, and is designed to produce a simple and novel structure by which liquid in measured quantities can be transferred tromone source or receptacle to another place or receptacle, preferably by means urely automatic in-its action.

To t is end, in a specific embodiment, it consists of a receptacle or measuring tank having its inlet and outlet ports controlled by check-valves, having in the top an injector cooperating with a valve moved to one position by the liquid in the receptacle when it reaches its maximum quantity and to the other when it reaches its minimum, the valve in the last mentioned position cooperating with the injector to create a vacuum in the receptacle to draw in the liquid, and

' in the other to create a pressure in the receptacle by which the liquid just drawn in will be forced out.

In a still more specific embodiment, it includes associated with the injector and valve mechanism above referred to, an auxiliary valve in the injector" supply pipe, which auxiliary valve is automatically closed cutting oh the injector action while the pres To illustrate my invention,- I annex here to-a sheet of drawings in which the same reference characters are used to designate identical parts in all the figures of which- Figure 1 is a central, vertical section through a measuring tank of an apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section on an enlarged scale through the valve mechanism associated with the injector;

Fig. ,3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4c is a section on the line M of Fig. 3. 4 r

The measuring tank or receptacle 10 preferably takes the form of a cylinder arranged on a vertical axis and having an inlet pipe 11 with a check-valve 12 therein near the bottom on one side, and an outlet pipe 13 likewise near the bottom and conveniently on the opposite side, and having a checkvalve 14: therein. The supply pipe 11 may be connected. to any convenient source of supply, and l have illustrated the outlet or discharge pipe 13 as connected with a suitable tank or reservoir 15. In the top out the tank 10 islocated a generally cylindrical valve casing 16, which is closed at the top by an air-tight cap 17, and is provided at one side with the aperture 18 in which the nozzle 19 of the injector is secured air-tight so that the nozzle 01' the injector projects some distance inside the valve casing. At the op posite side of the casing and directly oppo-.

side to the injector nozzle is an aperture or port 20, with which is preferably associated an injector discharge pipe 21 for reasons which will be subsequently explained.

Associated with the injector is a cylindrical valve member 22, adapted to occupy either the full line position shown in Fig. 2 or the dotted line position, it being moved from one position to the other by the action of the float 23 loosely mounted on the rod 2 1 depending from the valve 22 and cooperating with the abutments 25 and 26 located at the bottom, and toward the top, respectively, of the rod 2t. In the full line position shown'in Fig. 2, the injector passage '27 of the valve 22 is opposite to the port 20, and the action of the injector is to suck up the air from the interior of the tank 10, through the ports 28 in the bottom of the valve body and through the passage 29 formed in the body of the valve and connected with the,

be to cause the liquid to flow in more rapidly than it would otherwise.-

As the liquid rises in thetank, the float '23 rises with it, and when the maximum amount of liquid is substantially reached,

, thetop of the float contactswith the abutment 26 fixed on the rod 24, and eventually raises the rod so as to lift it and carry the valve 22- from the full line position to the dotted line position, the small passage 31 through the top of the valve being pro- .vided to prevent the air being compressed in the top portion 'of the valve casing 16 and thus resisting the movement of the valve. When the valve is thus moved-from its full line position to its dotted line position, the'injector passage 27 being carried out of register with the outlet 20, which is thus closed, the injector ceases to act as an injector, and the air or other fluid under pressure strikes the back of the passage 29 and passes down through the ports 28 into the body of the tank, putting it. under pressure, which increases until the check-valve 14 is raised, and the liquid contents are forced out through the passage 13.v This movement continues, until the bottom of the descending float 23 contacts with the abutment 25 secured on the bottom of the rod 24, at which time the weight of the float will move the valve 22 from the dotted line to the full line position, thus completing the cycle of movement, and leaving the in ector in position to operate as an injector. While I have for convenience illustrated the valve 22 as of a somewhat heavy solid construction, it will be understood -that it can be constructed of a light metal as aluminum, and cored out so as not to offer much weight to act in opposition to the lifting force of the wateracting on the float 23 or to the weight of the float. Of course the valve 22 might be made of hollow sheet metal construction, provided that the ports and passages described arein effect retained The top of the passage 29, and the abutment 32 cooperate with the nozzle 19 of the injector to determine the limits of the movement of the valve.

In order to secure a somewhat morerapid and certain movement of the valve 22 than would result from the mechanism so far described, I preferably associate therewith the soft rubber ring 33 surrounding the valve, and adapted to rest in the lower position this movement, its reversed of the valve in the annular recess 34 formed in the cap 17 and in the upper position in the corresponding annular recess 35 located above the recess 34 a distance equal to the circumference of the ring 33 in cross-section. Between the recesses 34 and 35 is a ridge and the action of the ring as the valve is moved is as follows: The ring 33 stands in its normal shape in either of the two extreme positions shown, and as the valve 22 rises, the ring is rolled by the lifting movement of the exterior of the valve on the annular surface of the inside of the casing 16, and the ring is in eifect turned inside out by position being reached when the ring is half way between its two extreme positions, and owing to the natural set of the ring, the rubber resists this movement turning it inside out to the time that the movement is completed, i. e., during the first half of the complete movement of the ring and the valve. During the second half of the movement, when it is being turned from its inside out position to its natural position, the natural tension or torsion of the rubber tends to aid this movement, so that as a result, the actionof this ring is to resist and prevent the movement of the valve until the lifting'action of the fluid acting through the float 23 is suflicient to overcome the resistance of the ring, after which it moves until it passes the central position, after which the action of the ring causes the valve to move rapidly. This action would occur even if the inner annular surface of the valve casing 16 were of the same diameter throughout and the ring 33 were not compressed, but the compression of the ring caused by the narrowing of the space through which it rolls by the ridge 36 makes an additional resistance to the movement during the first half, and adds that much to the tendency of the valve to move quickly after the central position has been passed. While I migh use simply theannular recesses 34 and 35 and the interposed ridge 36 on the surface of the valve casing, I preferably make similar recesses 34 and 35 with the interposed ridge 36 on the surface of the valve 22. While I have shown this mechanism for causing a delayed action during the first half of the movement and an accelerated action during the last half, as applied to' this liquid transferring apparatus, it will be understood that it could be used in connection with other apparatus.

While the afpiparatus thus far described will operate e ciently in the manner described, it will be apparent that during the time the compressed air is escaping after the Valve has just been moved to the full line position shown in Fig. 2 until the pressure of the air in the tank 10 is normal, the action of the injector is unnecessary,- and results in .36, which produces a contracted passage, 1

a waste of compressed air during this period. Unless extreme speed of action is desired, I preferably dispense with the waste of this compressed air during this interval by the following auxiliary valve mechanism: The

pipe 21 preferably has its outer end provided with a cylindrical enlargement 37, in which is mounted to slide a perforated disk 38, which has the stem 39 by which it is secured to the cross-head 40 connected to the pair of'links 41 which connect it with the parallel cross-head 42. This cross-head 42 is mounted in a space or opening formed in the injector supply pipe 43 by dividing the same at this point in the manner clearly shown in Fig. 2, thus producing the pair of passages 44 for the compressed air around the space in which the cross-head 42 reciprocates. This cross-head 42 is connected to a valve. stem 45 which passes through the stuffing box 46 and into the passage of the injector supply pipe 43, where it is provided with a needle valve point 47 designed to cooperate with a valve aperture 48 formed in the. injector supply plpe 43. A helically coiled expanding sprin 49, of the proper strength, is interposed between the stufling box 46 and the cross-head 42, and surrounding the valve stem 45, so that it normally holds the auxiliary valve 47 in the'full line position shown in Fig.2 where it does not interfere with the passage of compressed air through the injector suppl pipe 43. When,

however, the valve 22 is rst moved to the full line position shown in Fig. 2, and the tank 10 is full of air under a heavy pressure, say fifty pounds to the square inch, the compressed air rushing up through the ports 28, through the passage 29, and out through the passage 27, it meets with suflicient resistance from the disk 38 so that it moves the disk outward, compressing the spring 49, and moving the needle valve 47 in engagement with the valve aperture 48, thus shutting off the supply of compressed air from the in jector. As soon as the pressure of air in the tank 10 has fallen to normal, its action in escaping against the disk 38 is not suflicient to hold the spring 49 under compression, and the spring acts upon the valve 47 allowing'the injector to resume its normal action. V 4

While my invention is valuable for transferring many liquids in many different situations, I have designed it more especially for transferring corrosive chemicals, inasmuch as it contains no valve mechanism that needbe afiected by chemicals or its operation interfered with when they and the parts engaged by the liquids are properly coated, as by lead.

. While I have shown and described my invention as embodied in the form which I at present consider best adapted to carry out its purposes, it will be understood that it is capable of modification, andthat I do not desire to be limited in the interpretation of the following claims exceptv as may be necessitated by the state of the prior art. What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is z 1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a receptacle having a check-valve controlled inlet and a checkvalve controlled outlet for liquids, of an injector applied to the top of the receptacle, and a valve cooperating with the injector thereby alternately to create a vacuum in the receptacle for fillin it with liquid and to create a pressure in 5m receptacle to dis charge its liquid contents.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination witli a receptacle having a check-valve controlled inlet and a checkvalve controlled outlet'for liquids, of an injector applied to the top of the receptacle, and a valve operated by the rise and fall of the liquid in the receptacle cooperating with the injector thereby alternateliy to create a vacuum in the receptacle for lling it with liquid and to create a pressure in the receptacle to discharge its liquid contents.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a receptacle having a check-valvecontrolled inlet and a checkvalve controlled outletfor liquids, of an injector applied to the top of the receptacle, a float in the receptacle, and a valve operated by but having lost motion connection with the float so that its movement occurs only at the limit of the movements of the float, said valve cooperating with the injector to create thereby alternately a vacuum I in the receptacle for filling it with liquid, and a pressure in the receptacle to discharge its liquid contents.

4. In an apparatus of the class described,

the combinationwith a receptacle having a check-valve controlled inlet and a checkvalve controlled outlet for liquids, of an injector applied to the top of the receptacle, anda valve cooperating with the injector to create thereby alternately a vacuum in the receptacle for filling it with liquid and a pressurein the receptacle to discharge its liquid contents, an auxiliary valve in the injector supply pipe, and connections with I the in ector. air outlet and said auxiliary valve for closing the latter while the pres-- a valve operated by the rise and fall of th liquid in the receptacle, cooperating with the injector to create thereby alternately a In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my vacuum in the receptacle for filling it with. hand and afiixed my seal, this 11th day of liquid, yand a pressure in the receptacle to July A. D. 1918.

discharge its. liquid contents, and means WILLIAM KIRKWObD. [1,. s.] 5 'for delaying the first part of the move- Witnesses:

ment of the valve and speeding up the final LEAH Konsosm, part of its movement. J N0. G. ELLIOTT. 

